Early humans had a taste for young elephants

This skull of a juvenile elephant found at a 100,000 year old human site in Israel shows signs of butchery

Early human hunters had a taste for the meat of elephants and particularly enjoyed eating their young, according to archaeologists.

Researchers analysed the animal remains found at Palaeolithic sites around the world along with the hunting patterns and taste preferences of modern hunter gatherer groups.

They concluded that elephants, and mammoths before them, played a significant role in the diet of early humans.

Writing in the journal Quaternary International, Dr Ran Barkai, a senior lecturer in archaeology at Tel Aviv University who led the work and fellow archaeologist Hagar Reshef, said: 'Taste plays a central role in human life and has a major impact on our food preferences. [...] dailymail.co.uk